Mumbai did a great job defending 174: Rohit Sharma

Mumbai prevailed in a nail-biting encounter against Punjab at the Wankhede stadium, managing to pull off a 4-run victory against the visitors to register their sixth win and their third on the trot.

Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma, who was also the Man of the Match for his blistering 79 off 39 balls, said he always believed that his bowlers would restrict Punjab.

"I thought Malinga would finish the game in the 19th over but it wasn't to be. Despite that I knew our bowlers would restrict them within our total. Our fielding was excellent, it is something we have been working on for some time now," he said.

Speaking about his knock and how he has led the team, Rohit said: "I just try to keep it simple. Stay still and if there's a ball to be put out, you have to do it. The results will show and we will have to keep winning."

Rohit said Mumbai did a great job of defending a total of 174 considering the dew factor. "It is not easy defending here as there is a lot of dew in the night. This makes it difficult for the bowlers, especially for the spinners, who find it hard to grip the ball. Having said that, our spinners bowled quite well. We did a good job in defending 174. It does not matter if you win by 4 runs or 50 runs as long as you win."

Asked if he was worried when the game went down to the wire, Rohit said: "I was a little nervous, as a captain you will be. I was trying to hold my nerve, didn't want to make any mistakes on the field. It worked out pretty well. I think I rotated the bowlers pretty well, which was the key. At the end, I am happy that we won."

Dhawal Kulkarni, who did a terrific job in the match against Bangalore, had an expensive outing against Punjab, giving away 44 run from his 4 overs while picking up a couple of wickets. The Mumbai pacer was also asked to bowl the final over when Punjab required 17 to win and he conceded a no-ball and a wide before Praveen hit him for a six to bring the equation down to 5 off the final ball. However, the pacer managed to hold his nerve, dismissing Praveen off the final ball.

Speaking about Kulkarni's performance, Rohit said the bowler did a good job as far as he was concerned, mentioning that it was not easy bowling with a wet ball.

"As far as Dhawal is concerned, he just had one bad game. As I said earlier, it is not easy with the dew. You have to give him some time. This was just his second game. Still, he did get two wickets and according to me, he bowled pretty well. It is not easy to come and bowl the last over with that wet ball but I think he did a pretty good job."

About Kieron Pollard, who too a splendid catch to dismiss Shaun Marsh, Rohit said the West Indian has always been brilliant for the Mumbai side.

"He has been magnificent for us. He has taken a couple of great catches this year and he always does it for us. He has always been brilliant in the field and that is exactly what we look for from every player in the team - to contribute in the field which is the most important thing if we are to become the best fielding team in this competition."